EVs are cheaper to buy and cheaper to run than equivalent ICE cars in China.

Which is not what I said. Buying a new car is an upfront cost that not everybody can afford to pay.

Most people in China don't have cars. They use public transportation, buses, mini electric motorbikes that can be on sidewalks, and ride hailing.

So if they can't afford to switch from ICE to EV mandate, they still have options to get around. Though I think if a person had enough money to buy an ICE car, they should have enough to switch to an EV in China.

I don’t get the sense that this is a problem in countries where accumulation of wealth and property as a show of power and success is the ultimate goal